Walpole Way officially named

A ceremony was held to on Wednesday 31st July 2024 to officially name Walpole Way – a previously unnamed road off Broadway – and unveil new street name signs and a history board dedicated to former Wilmslow resident and scientist, Arthur Walpole.

Arthur Walpole lived on Broadway for 37 years, having moved to Wilmslow in 1937 when he was recruited to work for ICI. He was at the forefront of the discovery and development of Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) and Zoladex (Goselerin), which transformed the treatment of breast and prostate cancers respectively.

Arthur Walpole died shortly after retirement and before Tamoxifen and Goselerin reached the pinnacle of their respective clinical values. However, many of his former colleagues, collaborators and experts in the field believe that, had he not died, he would have been at least nominated for a Nobel Prize.

Around 30 people, including former colleagues of Arthur Walpole, local residents, the Town Mayor, Deputy Town Mayor and Councillors, attended the short ceremony.

Wilmslow Town Mayor, Councillor Tim Higgins, said, "It was a great honour to officially name Walpole Way in tribute to Arthur Walpole, in recognition of the work that he did at ICI.

"It is fitting that we were able to name a road so close to where Arthur and his wife chose to live, to remind everyone of the work that Arthur did in identifying two now world-renowned anti-cancer treatments, which have gone on to save and extend the lives of many thousands of people throughout the world.

"We would like to thank Arthur's former colleague, Michael Dukes, for bringing to our attention Arthur's ground-breaking contribution to medicine. Our thanks also go to all who attended the ceremony.

"We are hoping that the Arthur Walpole history board will be the first of a number that we are going to place across Wilmslow, to remind everyone of people who have a link to the history of our town. If any residents have a suggestion for a future history board, please let us know."